Preservation of Paski Sir (Pag cheese)

Preservation of Paški Sir as a whole cheese is best in a cellar or the coldest and darkest room of your house. It is best to place the cheese onto a wooden or plastic board and turn it several times a week. Whilst turning, it is desirable to rub the cheese with a cloth dampened with olive or vegetable oil to prevent excessive drying and the growth of mould. Ideal conditions for storing Paški Sir would be at temperatures between 12° and 16° with a relative humidity between 75% and 85%. This will keep your Paški Sir maturing nicely and will keep like this for over a year.

If you don’t have a cold room for storing cheese it can also be kept in the refrigerator, but it is advisable to put the whole cheese in an air tight container. If this is not possible, then wrap it in foil to prevent excessive drying and foreign odours attacking the cheese. It will be necessary to periodically grease Paški Sir with oil and remember turn regularly.

When the cheese is cut, again it is best to keep in an air tight container in the fridge. Paški Sir can also be preserved in oil as a whole or sliced.

Serving and Cutting Paski Sir

Before serving Paški Sir it needs to be taken from the fridge and left at room temperature, ideally for one hour. This will help to develop the fullness of its flavour.

Slice the cheese into triangles and present on a tray or plate, carefully avoiding contact with any serving accompaniments, such as smoked meats that could obscure the taste. We recommend that the rind is left on.

Paški Sir is superb with a quality wine, and in addition Paški Sir, can be joined with a Dalmatian smoked ham (pršut), salted anchovies with hunks of white bread or hot Paške bubice (dough) and olive oil. Matured Paški Sir is perfect with grapes and sage honey, or with olive oil from Lun on the Island of Pag. Grated mature Paški Sir is an indispensable addition to local dishes such as Gnocchi, Risotto, Polenta or Macaroni.

Matured Paški Sir is served with stronger red wines like Plavac, Midwife, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Terran. Alternatively with whites such as Paški Posip, Paške Žutice, Graševina, Weschriesling or Risling.